1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to air turbines and, more particularly, to an air turbine having a fairly high multiple of stator blades.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
It is known to provide an entrance stator in an air turbine so as to more effectively and efficiently provide guidance for the air flowing therethrough. The use of a multi-bladed stator to more positively guide this airflow is also known. The number of blades to be utilized, particularly in entrance stators, of course would reach a finite limit when the blades were so overwhelming in number as to completely fill the slotting between them. There would then be no airflow to the turbine wheel. Below this limit, it has been found that a larger and larger number of entrance stator blades seems to increase power output. Solidity (the ratio of effective blade length to slot width) which theoretically has been set desirably at one can also be more easily effected with minimized overall turbine diameter by closely spaced, short entrance stator blading. Additionally, even a lower blade requirement presents problems in the forming of an entrance stator.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a multiplicity of stator blades in an air turbine by interleaving a pair of stator bladed halfs.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide an air turbine with a relatively high number of stator blades.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide an entrance stator with an easily molded array of stator blades in an interleaving structural arrangement.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide stator blade interleaving by molding and then assembling individual bladed stator confronting sections.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved stator arrangement in an air turbine.
It is a final object of this invention to provide an improved air turbine.